Knitting machine



July 2, 1929. M. c. MILLER KNITTING- MACHINE Filed Sept. 15, 1926Patented July 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES ,P'A' enr OFFICE.

max 0. MILLER, or CUMBERLAND, intone ISLAND.

KNITTING MACHINE. 1

Application filed September 15, 1926. Serial No. 135,573.

The present invention relates to knitting machines and is hereindisclosed as embodied in a circular knitting--machine"employ1ng springbeardneedles. i-

t I The object of he invention is to provlde novel and'improvedoperating and supporting means for the various knitting elements whichwill be especially adaptable for use.-

in fine gage machines.-

Dificulties have been experienced in the .'manufacture of the cylindersor beds for fine gage machines due to the fact thatthe slots for carring the needlesand other opcrating mem ersmnust, necessarily be veryclose to each other thus makingthe dividing walls correspondingly'thin.In machines in which the cams" operate to moveithe needles Isuccessively, considerable side strain and wear is encountered. 1t is,therefore, neces- 2e sary to. make that-portion of the bed which musttake'thisside strain strong enough to permit these cainsto function,thus limiting the amount to which the slot walls may be thinned andconsequently limiting the fine at ness of the gage for which themachines may be built.

. ltt is more specifically the object of the 4o rangements of partshereinafter described and claimed and together with the advantages to beobtained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the artfrom the following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 1s a sectional view in elevation ofone embodiment of the invention in a circular knitting machineillustrating only so much of the machine as is necessary to show theconnection of the present invention therewith; Fig. 2

is a view in elevation of certain of the parts shown in Fi 1 includingneedles, needle slots and needle actuating jacks.

ings, the needles are mounted in the usual In the machine illustrated bythe draw-- manner in separate slots in the needle cylinder or bed, wherethey are held by a series of spring bands. Needle jacks are guidedseparately at their upper ends in the needle slots and at their lowerends by pairs in comparatively coarse gage slots.

Referring'more particularly to the drawings, the needles indicated at 1are carried on the needle cylinder 2 and are held in place in theirslots by the spring bands 3. Attached.

to the lower ends of the needles are the needle actuating jacks 4t. Theneedle cylinder 2 'is mounted on a supporting cylinder 5 which has cutin its periphery a series of comparatively coarse gage slots, halfas'many in number as the needle slots cut in cylinder 2. The needlejacks 4 are guided at their upper end separately in the needle slots ofcylinder 2 and at their lower ends in the coarser gage slots of thecylinder 5, two in each slot. butts of the jack 4 are held raised inoperative position orare permitted to swing down out of contact with theneedle actuating cams by means of 'acks 6.. This method of renderinginoperatlve the desired needles by means of swinging jacks is clearlyset forth in the inventors pending application, Serial No. 631,071. f

. It will. be noticed that whereas the upper cylinder 2 is slottednecessarily in accordance with the gage of the machine, a slot beingprovided for each needle, the lower cylinder 5 has onl one slot tor eachtwo slots in the upper cy inder 2, thus permitting slot walls of doublethe thickness in that portion of the needle cylinder which is subjectedto the side strain and wear of the needle cams.

A single controller jack 6 may be provided for. each pair of needlejacks 4 as illustrated at a, b and c in Fig. 2 so that the needles arecontrolled in pairs. Thisjisnot ordinarily objectionable in fine gagemachines but in case it is desired to control the needles separatelytwojacks 6 of thinner stock may be provided in each slot and provided withlong and short butts respectively, as illustrated at d in Fig. 2, thelong butt being indicated at e and the short butt at f in Fig. 1.

The invention herein described and illustrated not only permits of astronger and more durable construction in present fine gage machinesthrough the introducing of thicker slot walls to withstand the sidestrain of the actuating cams, but also makes it possilgle to build finergage machines than here to ore.

The

7 thereby set forth, what is claimed is:

While the present invention is illustrated are guided separatel in theneedle slots, the

in connection with spring beard needles, it is lower ends being guidedtogether in pairs in clearly not limited thereto, but may be utisingleslots.

lized with any type of needle and also in con- 3. In a knitting machinethe combination junction with other knitting elements which of a needlebed, a series of fine gage needle must be placed very close together asfor inslots formed in the bed, a series of comparastance thesinkersordinarily found in spring tively coarse gage slots, half as many inneedle machines. Moreover, the invention is number as the first series,a series of needles not limited to the combination of such knitmountedin the slots, a corresponding series of ting elements with operatingjacks, as it is jacks for the needles arranged in pairs, each Iperfectly feasible to have the shanks of the pair being guided at itslower end in a single knitting elements themselves guided at theircoarse gage slot, the upper ends being guided "lower ends in pairs inthe comparatively in separate fine gage slots, and one element of coarsegage slots of the cylinder 5. each pair being provided with a long butt,

The invention having been described and the other element being providedwith a short illustrated and the advantages obtained butt.

. 4. In a knitting machine the combination 1. In a knitting machine, thecombination of a needle bed, a series of fine gage needle of a needlebed, a series of needles, slots slots-[formed in the bed, aseries ofcomparaformed in the bed for the needles, a separate tively coarse gageslots, half as many in numseries of slots, needle actuating elementsarberas thefirst series,aseries of needles mountranged in pairs guidedat one end separately ed in thelslots, and a corresponding series of inthe needle slots and together in a single jacks for the needles arrangedin pairs, each slot at their other end. 1 pair being guided at its lowerend in a single 2. In a knitting machine, the combination coarse gageslot, the upper ends being guided of a needle bed, slots in the bed, aseries of in separate fine gage slots.

needles mounted in the slots, 'and swinging In testimony whereof I havehereunto jacks adapted to be withdrawn from contact signed my name tothis specification.

with the needle actuating cams and arranged in pairs so that the upperends of the jacks MAX 0. MILLER.

